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RNZ Pacific

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New Zealand holds out hope for halted PNG electrification aid project

February 4, 2026

By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor The New Zealand government says it hopes an electrification aid project that was halted in Papua New Guinea can still be completed if security improves. Work on the Enga Electrification Project in PNG’s Enga province has stopped due to ongoing violence around the project area in Tsak Valley. ... <a title="New Zealand holds out hope for halted PNG electrification aid project" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/04/new-zealand-holds-out-hope-for-halted-png-electrification-aid-project/" aria-label="Read more about New Zealand holds out hope for halted PNG electrification aid project">Read more</a>

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High Court defeat piles pressure on ’embarrassed’ Fiji PM Rabuka’s leadership, says academic

February 4, 2026

By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor A court ruling in favour of Fiji’s dismissed anti-corruption chief has “embarrassed” Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, a New Zealand-based Fiji politics academic says. University of Canterbury distinguished professor Steven Ratuva told RNZ Pacific Waves that while the Fiji High Court decision on Barbara Malimali offered “clarity” on the separation ... <a title="High Court defeat piles pressure on ’embarrassed’ Fiji PM Rabuka’s leadership, says academic" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/04/high-court-defeat-piles-pressure-on-embarrassed-fiji-pm-rabukas-leadership-says-academic/" aria-label="Read more about High Court defeat piles pressure on ’embarrassed’ Fiji PM Rabuka’s leadership, says academic">Read more</a>

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PNG govt defends using tear gas, force to evict illegal settlers in capital

February 2, 2026

RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s government has defended the use of force to evict residents of an informal settlement in the capital Port Moresby. Police used tear gas to move people out of the Two-Mile settlement last week, while heavy machinery was used to tear down homes and two people were killed in clashes. Acting ... <a title="PNG govt defends using tear gas, force to evict illegal settlers in capital" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/02/png-govt-defends-using-tear-gas-force-to-evict-illegal-settlers-in-capital/" aria-label="Read more about PNG govt defends using tear gas, force to evict illegal settlers in capital">Read more</a>

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Leaders of PNG’s Enga province plagued by violence – vow to weed out illegal guns

February 1, 2026

By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor Political leaders in a Papua New Guinea province plagued by gun violence are making a collective stand to stop it. There is a new sense of political will among Enga Province’s political leaders and police to come down hard on the use of illegal weapons. But they are ... <a title="Leaders of PNG’s Enga province plagued by violence – vow to weed out illegal guns" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/01/leaders-of-pngs-enga-province-plagued-by-violence-vow-to-weed-out-illegal-guns/" aria-label="Read more about Leaders of PNG’s Enga province plagued by violence – vow to weed out illegal guns">Read more</a>

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Micronesia: Island US military veterans struggle to get healthcare

January 31, 2026

By Giff Johnson, editor, Marshall Islands Journal / RNZ Pacific correspondent The death earlier this month of a 26-year veteran of the US Army from the Micronesian island of Kosrae, who was an ardent advocate for healthcare benefits for island veterans, highlights the ongoing lack of promised US healthcare support for those who served in ... <a title="Micronesia: Island US military veterans struggle to get healthcare" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/31/micronesia-island-us-military-veterans-struggle-to-get-healthcare/" aria-label="Read more about Micronesia: Island US military veterans struggle to get healthcare">Read more</a>

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Pacific delegates warn against US fast-tracking seabed mining

January 28, 2026

By Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent Pacific delegates in the United States Congress are warning efforts to fast-track deep-seabed mining could sideline island communities and cause irreversible damage to fragile ocean ecosystems. The concerns were raised at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing in Washington last week, held a day ... <a title="Pacific delegates warn against US fast-tracking seabed mining" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/28/pacific-delegates-warn-against-us-fast-tracking-seabed-mining/" aria-label="Read more about Pacific delegates warn against US fast-tracking seabed mining">Read more</a>

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Vanuatu citizenship sales strong despite currency hassles and integrity issues

January 27, 2026

By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor With all the setbacks of recent years, Vanuatu’s citizenship sale schemes should be dead in the water — instead they are thriving, and geopolitical chaos is playing a part. The citizenship-by-investment sector is the biggest single revenue earner for Vanuatu’s government, but lingering issues of integrity cast a ... <a title="Vanuatu citizenship sales strong despite currency hassles and integrity issues" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/27/vanuatu-citizenship-sales-strong-despite-currency-hassles-and-integrity-issues/" aria-label="Read more about Vanuatu citizenship sales strong despite currency hassles and integrity issues">Read more</a>

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Samoan playwright found dead in prison, local media report

January 26, 2026

RNZ Pacific Samoan playwright, author and poet Papali’i Sia Figiel has died in prison, according to local media reports. Local media, citing sources at the country’s main correctional facility in Apia, are reporting that Papali’i, 58, was found dead in her prison cell on Monday. She was being held at Tanumalala Prison, awaiting her next ... <a title="Samoan playwright found dead in prison, local media report" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/26/samoan-playwright-found-dead-in-prison-local-media-report/" aria-label="Read more about Samoan playwright found dead in prison, local media report">Read more</a>

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‘Thank God’ – parents of PNG conjoined twins grateful they defied medical advice

January 24, 2026

By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist The parents of rare conjoined twins say doctors in Papua New Guinea told them to take the boys home as they were beyond hope. “Thank God we [defied them] and we are where we are,” the boys’ dad Kevin Mitiam, who is also a twin, said in Tok ... <a title="‘Thank God’ – parents of PNG conjoined twins grateful they defied medical advice" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/24/thank-god-parents-of-png-conjoined-twins-grateful-they-defied-medical-advice/" aria-label="Read more about ‘Thank God’ – parents of PNG conjoined twins grateful they defied medical advice">Read more</a>

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Tokelau airport project scrapped despite multi-million dollar design

January 23, 2026

By Kaya Selby, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand has scrapped a project to build an airport in Tokelau after sinking NZ$3 million into the design phase. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told RNZ Pacific that the Tokelau government had been advised of their decision. Tokelau is completely inaccessible by plane, ... <a title="Tokelau airport project scrapped despite multi-million dollar design" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/23/tokelau-airport-project-scrapped-despite-multi-million-dollar-design/" aria-label="Read more about Tokelau airport project scrapped despite multi-million dollar design">Read more</a>

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Pro-independence FLNKS ‘unequivocally’ reject latest agreement for New Caledonia

January 22, 2026

By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk The signing of a new agreement on New Caledonia’s political and financial future has triggered a fresh wave of reactions from across the French territory’s political chessboard. The Elysée-Oudinot agreement was signed on Monday, January 19, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron as well ... <a title="Pro-independence FLNKS ‘unequivocally’ reject latest agreement for New Caledonia" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/22/pro-independence-flnks-unequivocally-reject-latest-agreement-for-new-caledonia/" aria-label="Read more about Pro-independence FLNKS ‘unequivocally’ reject latest agreement for New Caledonia">Read more</a>

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High Seas Treaty welcome news for SPREP in uncertain times

January 21, 2026

By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor In an otherwise mixed month for the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP), its leadership is hailing a win for Pacific conservation efforts with the UN Treaty on the High Seas coming into effect. The legally binding UN High Seas Treaty officially received more than 60 ratifications, and following ... <a title="High Seas Treaty welcome news for SPREP in uncertain times" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/21/high-seas-treaty-welcome-news-for-sprep-in-uncertain-times/" aria-label="Read more about High Seas Treaty welcome news for SPREP in uncertain times">Read more</a>